Windlass break / fix or replace

[johnvilla99]

We were out the other day and I went to drop anchor and discovered that my windlass is struggling.  I can hear electrical engage when I use the foot pedals, but the motor doesn't engage.  I hit the motor with a dead blow hammer, and it worked for a little bit then stopped again.

My question to y'all, should I pull the windlass and have it repaired or bite the bullet and buy a new one?

thank you!!!

[kevin goodwin]

I would not recommend replacing anything without a thorough diagnosis first. 

Any idea how old the unit is?

Is it rated for the weight of the tackle? 

Have you checked the wiring to make sure there isn't any corrosion that might lead to excessive voltage drop? Seems that many electrical items on a boat suffer from a lack of proper power/ground.

Has it been working regularly for years using the current wires/relays and other connections? Have those connections been checked/cleaned and confirmed good?

It might just need a full rebuild after providing a lifetime of service. 

I kinda get the impression that many new products aren't exactly made to be intolerant of failures any longer. Some of the older products tend to last decades. 

Too many manufactures design products to only last till the limited warranty expires.

Good luck however you decide to proceed.

Kevin

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From: 'johnvilla99' via Tollycraft Boating Club Forum <tollycraft-boa...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 3, 2024 6:47 PM
To: Tollycraft Boating Club Forum <tollycraft-boa...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Windlass break / fix or replace

 

We were out the other day and I went to drop anchor and discovered that my windlass is struggling.  I can hear electrical engage when I use the foot pedals, but the motor doesn't engage.  I hit the motor with a dead blow hammer, and it worked for a little bit then stopped again.

My question to y'all, should I pull the windlass and have it repaired or bite the bullet and buy a new one?

thank you!!!

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[John Villasenor]

Thank you for this advice Kevin.  I believe it's the original windlass... it's been with the boat since we first purchased her in 2014 (and again in 2024).  It's worked reliably ever since.  Had her out over the weekend and this time the motor moved, but very very very slowly.  Not enough power to pull the anchor reven if I did get the anchor set.  It seemed like a power / battery issue... then after a few more attempts and troubleshooting, it just stopped responding.  I could hear the clicking of the capacitors engaging, but the motor simply would not respond.

I think either way, the windlass needs to be pulled out and sent to a shop for proper diagnostic.   Can anyone recommend a good shop for this type of work?  I've been working with Puget Sound Composites... I'm out of Port of Everett.

Thanks all!!

JV

[William Kleiser]

I agree on some diagnosis first.  The fact that hitting it with a hammer could indicate several things, bad connections, worn out brushes in the motor etc.  Both of those are simple fixes in general.   However that said, some of the newer windlasses offer nice features.  Our Tolly has an old Plath, reliable but slow.  My prior boat had a Maxwell, very fast, able to deal with both rope and chain, so some nice features...but at a cost of almost $3000 for the windlass alone (it was  pretty big one).

Good Luck

Bill

On 7/3/2024 1:03 PM, kevin goodwin wrote:

I would not recommend replacing anything without a thorough diagnosis first 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tollycraft-boating-club-forum/SA1PR20MB536088C42F45522B627D72559FDD2%40SA1PR20MB5360.namprd20.prod.outlook.com.

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[Darius Martinez]

How old is this one?

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[Lee Worthy]

As Kevin said, some of the older units are still working like a champ.  We rebuilt our Plath, that was original equipment, multiple times over the years.  Easy to do and built like a tank.

You may just need new brushes on your electric motor, base on the whack and it works diagnosis.  :)  

On Jul 3, 2024, at 1:03 PM, kevin goodwin <az1g...@hotmail.com> wrote:



I would not recommend replacing anything without a thorough diagnosis first. 

Any idea how old the unit is?

Is it rated for the weight of the tackle? 

Have you checked the wiring to make sure there isn't any corrosion that might lead to excessive voltage drop? Seems that many electrical items on a boat suffer from a lack of proper power/ground.

Has it been working regularly for years using the current wires/relays and other connections? Have those connections been checked/cleaned and confirmed good?

It might just need a full rebuild after providing a lifetime of service. 

I kinda get the impression that many new products aren't exactly made to be intolerant of failures any longer. Some of the older products tend to last decades. 

Too many manufactures design products to only last till the limited warranty expires.

Good luck however you decide to proceed.

Kevin

---

From: 'johnvilla99' via Tollycraft Boating Club Forum <tollycraft-boa...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 3, 2024 6:47 PM
To: Tollycraft Boating Club Forum <tollycraft-boa...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Windlass break / fix or replace

 

We were out the other day and I went to drop anchor and discovered that my windlass is struggling.  I can hear electrical engage when I use the foot pedals, but the motor doesn't engage.  I hit the motor with a dead blow hammer, and it worked for a little bit then stopped again.

My question to y'all, should I pull the windlass and have it repaired or bite the bullet and buy a new one?

thank you!!!

--
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[worthywl]

If it is an original Plath windless, I would recommend using RC Plath in Portland.  Give them a call.  They have always been super helpful whenever I needed parts or advise on my Plath that is still working great.     rcplathco.com.